This disclosure relates to advanced image signal processing technology including encoded signals and digital watermarking. We disclose methods, systems and apparatus for selecting which ink(s) should be selected to carry an encoded signal for a given machine-vision wavelength for a package design. We also disclose product packages, and methods to generate such, including a sparse mark in a first ink and an overprinted ink flood in a second ink. The first ink and the second ink are related through tack and spectral reflectance difference. Of course, other methods, packages, systems and apparatus are described in this disclosure.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An image processing method comprising: obtaining first color values representing lightness, color channel ‘a’ and color channel ‘b’ for a first color; obtaining second color values representing lightness, color channel ‘a’ and color channel ‘b’ for a substrate or a background color; obtaining first reflectance values for the first color at a machine-vision wavelength; obtaining second reflectance values for the substrate or the background color at the machine-vision wavelength; combining the first reflectance values and the second reflectance values to yield a reflectance difference; using one or more programmed processors, determining an encoded signal error that is associated with the first color values, the second color values and the reflectance difference; using one or more programmed processors, determining a color error that is associated with the first color values, the second color values and the reflectance difference; and combining the encoded signal error and the color error to yield a combined error, and evaluating the combined error to determine whether to transform digital imagery with the first color to carry an encoded signal.
2. The image processing method of claim 1 further comprising, based on a determination by said evaluating, transforming digital imagery to carry an encoded signal represented by the first color.
3. The image processing method of claim 1 in which the encoded signal error (RWV) comprises: RWV = Δ660 ( ( Δ L * ) 2 + ( Δ a * 8 ) 2 + ( Δ b * 16 ) 2 ) 1 2 in which Δ660 represents a reflectance difference at or around 660 nm of the first color and the substrate or the background color, ΔL* represents a difference in lightness between the first color values and the second color values, Δa* represents a difference in ‘a’ channel color values between the first color values and the second color values, and Δb* represents a difference in ‘b’ channel color values between the first color values and the second color values.
4. The image processing method of claim 3 in which the color error (RCV) comprises: RCV = Δ660 ( ( Δ L * ) 2 + ( Δ a * ) 2 + ( Δ b * ) 2 ) 1 2 .
5. The image processing method of claim 4 in which ΔL*, Δa* and Δb* comprise CIELAB values.
6. The image processing method of claim 4 in which RCV and RWV are weighted to emphasize or deemphasize the encoded signal error or the color error.
7. An image processing method comprising: obtaining first color values representing luminance*, color channel ‘a*’ and color channel ‘b*’ for a first plurality of colors; obtaining second color values representing luminance*, color channel ‘a*’ and color channel ‘b*’ for a substrate or a background color; using one or more programmed processors, determining an encoded signal error that is associated with the first color values, the second color values, and a reflectance difference associated with a first machine-vision wavelength between the first color and the substrate or the background color; using one or more programmed processors, determining a color error that is associated with the first color values, the second color values, and the reflectance difference; and combining the encoded signal error and the color error for each of the first plurality of colors to yield a plurality of combined errors, and evaluating the combined errors to determine a target color from the plurality of colors in terms of signal robustness and signal visibility associated with the first machine-vision wavelength.
8. The image processing method of claim 7 further comprising transforming digital imagery to carry an encoded signal represented by the target color.
9. The image processing method of claim 7 in which the encoded signal error (RPW) for each of the first plurality of color comprises: RWV = Δ660 ( ( Δ L * ) 2 + ( Δ a * 8 ) 2 + ( Δ b * 16 ) 2 ) 1 2 in which Δ660 represents a reflectance difference at or around 660 nm for one of the first plurality of colors and the substrate or the background color, ΔL* represents a difference in luminance between the first color values and the second color values, Δa* represents a difference in ‘a’ channel color values between the first color values and the second color values, and Δb* represents a difference in ‘b’ channel color values between the first color values and the second color values.
10. The image processing method of claim 9 in which the color error (RCV) for each of the first plurality of colors comprises: RCV = Δ660 ( ( Δ L * ) 2 + ( Δ a * ) 2 + ( Δ b * ) 2 ) 1 2 .
11. The image processing method of claim 10 in which ΔL*, Δa* and Δb* comprise CIELAB values.
12. The image processing method of claim 10 in which RCV and RWV are weighted to emphasize or deemphasize the encoded signal error or the color error.
13. The image processing method of claim 8 in which the encoded signal comprises a sparse mark.
14. The image processing method of claim 7 in which the encoded signal comprised a sparse mark.
15. A retail package design produced by the method of claim 14 .
16. A product package comprising: a first substrate comprising a first area; a sparse mark pattern printed within the first area with a first ink; an ink flood printed over the sparse mark pattern and the first substrate within the first area with a second ink, in which the second ink comprises a greater tack or adhesion with the first substrate relative to a tack or adhesion with the first ink, the first area comprising a first region comprising a layer of ink flood and a layer of first substrate, the first area further comprising a second region comprising a layer of ink flood, a layer of sparse mark pattern and a layer of first substrate, in which the first region and the second region comprise a spectral reflectance difference at a machine-vision wavelength in the range of 8%-60%.
17. The retail package of claim 16 in which the range comprises 12%-20%.
18. The retail package of claim 16 in which the spectral reflectance difference comprises 12% or higher.
19. The retail product package of claim 16 in which the first region comprises a darker region relative to the second region.
20. The method of claim 16 in which the first reflectance values for the first color at the machine-vision wavelength account for a package's fill and base ink.
21. The method of claim 20 in which the base ink is overprinted on a clear plastic substrate.
22. The method of claim 21 in which the second reflectance values for the substrate or the background color at the machine-vision wavelength account for the package's fill and base ink.
23. The method of claim 22 in which the substrate or the background color comprises the clear plastic substrate.
24. A method of evaluating a color for use as a carrier of an encoded signal on a printed object, said method comprising: obtaining first reflectance values for the color at a machine-vision wavelength, in which the printed object comprises a clear plastic substrate and an overprinted base ink, in which the first reflectance values account for reflectance attributable to a layered structure comprising the color, the clear plastic substrate, a product fill and the overprinted base ink; obtaining second reflectance values at the machine-vision wavelength, in which the second reflectance values account for reflectance attributable to a layered structure comprising the clear plastic substrate, the product fill and the overprinted base ink; combining the first reflectance values and the second reflectance values to yield a reflectance difference; using one or more programmed processors or an ASIC, determining a first metric representing a relationship between the reflectance difference and an encoded signal error and determining a second, different metric representing a relationship between the reflectance difference and a color error associated with the color; and combining the first metric and the second, different metric to yield a combined metric, and using the combined metric to evaluate the color for use as a carrier of an encoded signal on the printed object.
25. The method of claim 24 in which the color comprises Cyan, and the product fill comprises a color relatively darker than Cyan.
26. The method of claim 24 in which the color comprises Cyan, and the product fill comprises a color relatively lighter than Cyan.
27. A non-transitory computer readable medium: obtaining first reflectance values for a color at a machine-vision wavelength, the color for use as a carrier of an encoded signal on a printed object, in which the printed object comprises a clear plastic substrate and an overprinted base ink, in which the first reflectance values account for reflectance attributable to a layered structure comprising the color, the clear plastic substrate, a product fill and the overprinted base ink; obtaining second reflectance values at the machine-vision wavelength, in which the second reflectance values account for reflectance attributable to a layered structure comprising the clear plastic substrate, the product fill and the overprinted base ink; generating a reflective difference between the first reflectance values and the second reflectance values; producing a first metric representing a relationship between the reflectance difference and an encoded signal error and producing a second, different metric representing a relationship between the reflectance difference and a color error associated with the color; and combining the first metric and the second, different metric to yield a combined metric, and using the combined metric to evaluate the color for use as a carrier of an encoded signal on the printed object.
28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27 further comprising instructions stored therein that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform: based on a determination by evaluating the color, transforming digital imagery to carry an encoded signal represented by the first color.
29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 27 , in which the first metric (RWV) comprises: RWV = Δ660 ( ( Δ L * ) 2 + ( Δ a * 8 ) 2 + ( Δ b * 16 ) 2 ) 1 2 in which Δ660 represents a reflectance difference at or around 660nm of the first color and the substrate or the background color, ΔL* represents a difference in lightness between the first color values and the second color values, Δa* represents a difference in ‘a’ channel color values between the first color values and the second color values, and Δb* represents a difference in ‘b’ channel color values between the first color values and the second color values.
30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 29 in which the second, different metric (RCV) comprises: RCV = Δ660 ( ( Δ L * ) 2 + ( Δ a * ) 2 + ( Δ b * ) 2 ) 1 2 .
31. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 30 in which ΔL*, Δa* and Δb* comprise CIELAB values.
32. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 30 in which RCV and RWV are weighted to emphasize or deemphasize the encoded signal error or the color error.
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September 9, 2016
May 28, 2019
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